Fox Tale
by Sci F.I. Warper
Summary: When Bo is out of town on a case, Kenzi is looking forward to a relaxing weekend.  Too bad Dyson shows up at their door possibly being driven insane by something only he can see. Will our favorite human be able to save him?
1. Chapter One

A.N. So, yeah, this is my first fic in the Lost Girl group. I kinda love Kenzi and Dyson, so I figured it would be fun to have her save him for once. Sorry if people seem somewhat out of character, I'm only on the first season and I will try to stay as close as possible to them as I can. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own neither Fae or human characters even though Dyson would be at the top of my list.

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><p>Someone was going to die. A slow, hopefully painful death via a thousand paper cuts. At least, that's what Kenzi blearly wished as she shuffled her way to the front door. Bo was out of town the next few days, following a lead on a case, while the succubus' regular human companion had the place and its blessed silence all to herself. Three days of a good night's sleep wasted by an idiot with a death wish pounding on the door.<p>

Yawning, she had almost made it halfway when she heard a familiar male voice calling for Bo on the other side. Dyson. Kenzi groaned, picking up her pace to a slow walk. She sincerely hoped he wasn't here for a three a.m. booty-call because then she would truely be obliged to kill him. At the same time, she seriously doubted he was here for an end-of-the-world kind of emergency. The wolf-man usually called it in that case. She fixed her most ferocious glare on her face as she swung the door open, only to have the Light Fae barge past her inside without noticing.

"No, really," Kenzi snarked,stumbling a little from his mass and throwing her free hand up exasperantly, "Come on in."

"Where's Bo?" Dyson demanded, scanning the room quickly before turning his attention back to Kenzi and snapping, "Shut the door!"

Something in his voice roused the human girl, who obeyed immediately and locked it tightly behind her. Turning to look back at him, Kenzi felt a sudden prickle of apprehension crawl along her spine. Dyson was tense, more then she'd seen him since...ever. His eyes were constantly moving across the room \, looking for something. She was almost certain she heard him sniff a few times.

"Uh, D-man," she called out, struggling to kick her brain into thinking mode, "What's going on?"

"Where's Bo?" he repeated his question in reply.

"Out of town," she answered, adding as an afterthought, "On a case."

Dyson seemed to consider this a moment. Kenzi couldn't be sure, but she was almost certain she saw a shudder run through the usually stoic Fae. Finally, he turned to look at her. This time there was no mistaking the feeling of fear in her stomach. Dyson's eyes were wide, almost wild looking despite remaining their usual blue.

"This isn't good," he said, moving suddenly towards her. Kenzi jumped back on instinct, hitting the _locked_ door.

"What isn't, wolf-boy?" she asked boldy, hiding the accidental show of fear. Dyson seemed not to have noticed as he took her hand.

"We have to get you out of here," he said, his voice taking on an almost protective growl as he pulled her behind him, "And we need to get a hold of Bo. She may be..."

Whatever he was going to say next was lost as the resident wolf froze, his grip tightening painfully on Kenzi's upper arm.

"Ow," Kenzi complained loudly, trying to pull free, "Ow, ow, ow, ow. Dyson, let go..."

"Quiet!" growled the wolf and Kenzi froze. Okay, now she was officially freaked out.

Once again, Dyson scanned the room looking and listening intently for any signs of an intruder. All he could hear was Kenzi's heartbeat pounding loud and fast from the frightened human girl. That was good. It meant the figure he had seen hadn't come for her yet.

"Come on," he ordered, reaching up to unlock the door.

"Dyson!" Kenzi exclaimed, now digging her heels in (like hell she was going out in this weather in her pajamas), "Dyson, wait! Stop!"

The Fae obeyed her request only as the door swung open to an empty skyline. At that moment, two thing happened at once. Dyson froze, for what must have been the third time that night, and Kenzi found herself suddenly yanked off her feet and across the room behind one of their battered couches. The small human felt much smaller as she found herself covered and almost crushed by the man now trying to protect her. She hadn't really realized until this moment how freaking huge Dyson really was.

"What the hell?" she hissed out, having enough sense of mind to quietly protest the man-handling, "Dyson, what is-"

Her question was halted by a warning growl that shook her entire body. Eyes widening, she lifted a hand up appeasingly and listened. Minutes passed, but there was no sound either of footstep, growl (with the exception of Dyson), grunt, snort, or shuffly, slitherly Fae. Kenzi felt her fear turn from whatever Dyson was (oddly) hiding them from to the man now half crushing her. This was too much shit to put up with at three in the morning, even with the people she regularly hung out with.

_"_Wolf-man_,"_ she whispered as softly as she could, not bothering to hide the panic in her voice, "What is going on! You are freaking the Kenzi out!"

In response, Dyson peaked his head over the couch's edge. Kenzi could feel it as his muscle's relaxed and he let go of her. Craning her neck up slightly, she shot him an annoyed glare.

"Whatever it was," he started, "It looks like it-"

The end of the sentence was lost to an eerie mixture of a growl, cry, and scream that erupted from the Fae as his eyes rolled back into his head. Kenzi let out a startled cry of her own, hands flying up to protect her ears from the sound as she jumped away from him. It was a good move, too, as the detective collapsed to the floor twitching. Kenzi's eye snapped instinctively to the doorway only to find it was still empty. Thudding on the hardwood floor drew back her attention as she saw the twitching had given way to a full-blown seizure.

"Shit!" she yelled, dropping down beside the obviously sick Fae, "Dyson!"

She remembered reading somewhere something about cradling a seizure victim's head and making sure there was no furniture around they could hit. Jumping to her feet, she gave the couch a violent shove, managing to push it slightly sideways. Dropping on her knees behind the seizing detective, she gingerly reach her hands around either side of his face, not quite touching him. For the scariest minute or so of her life, all she could do was watch as one of the few people she secretly acknowledged as a protector shook uncontrollably as she stood by helpless. Every now and then, she would peak towards the door, afraid that whatever was causing this would come back for her. _If it's not already here, _she thought to herself.

Eventually, the tremors stopped and Dyson let out a soft gasp. _Oh god, _Kenzi felt her already pressed panic button go off, _Please. Do not be dead. Bo will kill me._ Cautiously she reach for his chest, letting out a breath as she felt it rise and fall. Dyson had only passed out.

Feeling her limbs go weak with relief, she forced herself to re-focus and run for the door. Slamming it close, she locked it. Absent-mindedly, she grabbed her sword from the chair on her way back and pulled out her cell phone. She needed help.

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><p>Okay, first chapter. Like, don't like? Let me know! :)<p> 


	2. Chapter Two

"Kenzi, slow down," Trick ordered, holding up a finger to a customer across the bar. The Kitsune in question scowled angrily at him before jumping up from the bar stool and storming off into the crowd. Trick held back a groan, rubbing the bridge of his nose. One had to admire the human's terrible sense of timing; the busiest hour in the bar and Kenzi decides it's a good time to call, talking about a mile a minute.

"No time!" she called back at him, her pitch raising slightly like it did when she was excited...or afraid, "Now can you help me or not?"

"I don't even know what I'm suppose to be helping you with," the older Fae replied holding back his annoyance as he turned to reach for one of the bottles on the shelf behind the bar.

"Dyson!" Kenzi all but shrieked, forcing him to pull the phone away, "He came over here acting all weird and not Dyson-y and now he's passed out on our floor."

"What?"

That caught the bartender's attention. Immediately signaling to one of his employees, Trick turned and headed towards the back room. If something had gotten the drop on the shifter, then they were all in danger. Kenzi and Bo most of all.

"Kenzi," he said, closing the door behind him, "I need you to tell me what happened. Everything, now."

"What didn't happen?"the young human replied back snarkily, "Dyson came over looking for Bo then..."

"Wait, Bo's not with you?" Trick interrupted her. He found himself mildly suprised by fact the human alone with a potentially comprimised shifter was now more frightening to him then it being the succubus. He supposed he could grudgingly admit to a small fondness for the girl.

"Out of town, and apparently out of cell phone range," came the sharp reply, "Can I finish the story?"

Trick sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He was used to the sass by now. Kenzi's nervous pacing however, which he could hear over the phone, was enought to tell him how worried and afraid she really was.

"Yes," he replied, glancing over his books.

"So he comes barging into the apartment, tells me there's trouble, grabs my arm, and the next thing I know we're cowering behind the couch," she exclaimed in a rush, the sound of her footsteps thumping with each word.

"Cowering?" Trick replied, stunned and not liking what he's hearing. He's half tempted to tell Kenzi to just run to the bar and tell him everything here; but her next words stop him.

"And then he let out this god awful scream and starts seizing on the floor."

"Seizing?" the bad feeling he had the moment he picked up the phone doubled in strength.

"Yeah," Kenzi replied emphatically, "Like full blown. Tremors, shakes, foaming, the works. Then he passed out. I've got a blanket and a pillow on him, but he's too heavy to move onto the couch. Trick, I need some help, man."

"Why didn't you call Lauren?" Trick demanded, holding back a sudden flash of anger. He knew the girl was scared and because of that not thinking clearly. But she was leaving one of his kind without the attention they clearly needed.

"I don't trust her," Kenzi replied frankly, either ignoring or not noticing his tone, and added petulantly, "And the wolf-man doesn't like her either. Why should I let her go poking and prodding him?"

Trick sighed audibly this time. It wasn't that he disagreed with the girl's assessment (he had his own misgiving of the Ash's kept pet and her interactions with Bo) but the woman was a doctor which Dyson clearly needed. Reigning in his quickly deterioating objectivity, he cleared his throat and gave the young human instruction.

"Alright," he said, "I'm going to call Lauren and we will be there as soon as we can. Just keep Dyson as comfortable as possible and if he wakes up don't let him move."

On the other side of the line Kenzi let out a small laugh.

"Right," she replied without a trace of irony, "I'll tie the wolf-man till you guys get here. No problem," there was a hesitant pause and then, "Trick, tell me he's gonna be okay."

Once again, the older Fae found himself surprised by the emotions the small human evoked. As much as he hated himself for it, he refused to lie to her though. She deserved more then that.

"I don't know, Kenzi," he replied quietly, "But we'll try our best. And for god's sake be careful."

On the other side of the line, he heard her let out a soft sight. Without needing to be there, he could easily imagine her face drawn in slightly pained expression, having already known the answer wouldn't be the one she wanted but everything she feared. He could hear it the moment her pacing stopped and she accepted the situation as it was. Not for the first and certainly not for the last time, the grouchy old bartender marveled at the young human's strength.

"Will do," Kenzi said finally, her usual irritating confidence back in place, "See you on the flip side."

With that, she disconnected the call. Immediately, the old Blood King begin to dial Lauren's number. Unbeknownst to everyone, even the Ash, the human doctor owed him a favor. This was as good a moment as any to cash it in.

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><p>Kenzi let the phone drop from her hands to the couch. Casting a glance at Dyson, she saw the shifter was still sleeping, or passed out, or whatever unconciousness was called after a seizure. Her phone call to Trick had done little to alleviate her fears. If anything, the little bartender's changing moods worried her even more. She hadn't even had the courage to ask him if he knew what had caused this, too afraid of the answer.<p>

Standing up, she crossed over to kneel beside her friend. The blanket she had grabbed from her room barely made it passed his knees, but at least the pillow was sort of fluffy. She resisted the urge to run her fingers through his hair. Now wasn't the time to let her own, mostly unacknowledged, private fantasy interfere in real life.

"Well," she said aloud, trying to break the uncomfortable silence, "Looks like it's just you and me for now, buddy."

No answer came from the shifter. Kenzi sighed, watching him for a while. Time seemed to be moving incredibly slow. Standing up again, she paced the length of the couch, once more glancing at the door. Her grip on the sword had yet to slacken.

"Geez, how long is this gonna take?" she demanded to no one on her fifth pass of the couch. The silence and lack of sleep was getting to her. Plus (though she hated to admit it) she really didn't like the idea of going up alone against something that could apparently knock Dyson on his ass. Especially without any form of Fae backing her up. Her impatient musings were interrupted, however, by a sudden groan sounding behind her.

"Jesus!" the young woman shrieked, turning around with the sword poised for attack. Instead, she was met with the sight of Dyson begining to stir, "Crap."

Lowering the weapon, she hurried over to her friend's side. Slowly, the shifter's eyes began to open blearly. Though awake, the Fae still seemed out of it. Placing her hand comfortingly on his shoulder, Kenzi felt him stiffen the moment he became fully awake and aware of his surroundings.

"Easy, big guy," she offered reassuringly as his eyes started to dart around the room, "You're okay."

The sound of her voice caught Dyson's attention and he turned to look at her.

"Kenzi?" he muttered in surprise, squinting up at her, "What are you..."

"Woah," she interrupted him, moving her hand to his chest as he began to sit up, "Dude, lay still. Cause if you get up, I'll have Bo, Trick, Lauren, hell probably the whole light side on my ass. Stay still."

"What? Kenzi...what's going on?" he seemed befuddled, but thankfully relaxed back onto the floor, "Where am I?"

Kenzi did a double take at him.

"You don't remember?" she asked, concerned. Dyson shook his head in response, once again looking around the room. Inhaling deeply, Kenzi nodded to herself, "Okay, mark that down on the symptom's list."

"Symptoms?" once again his attention was drawn to the human, "Kenzi, will you tell me what's going on?"

_I must be at Bo's,_ he thought to himself, the familiar scents and sights surrounding him confirming it. The thought gave him a faint sense of peace, but not enough to hide the sudden realization that he had no idea how he'd gotten here. What had happened to him?

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't even notice Kenzi almost let out a sigh of relief at his question. His last comment had sounded annoyed and more like himself, music to the young human's ears. _Maybe he's shaken off whatever was wrong with him? _Kenzi hoped privately to herself.

"Uh," Kenzi still wasn't sure, however, what she could tell him. After all, there was no way of telling what might trigger a relapse, "That's not important right now, so..."

"Kenzi," okay, now his tone was worried. Kenzi let out a relenting sigh and nodded.

"You were knocking, well, more like pounding, on our door like an hour ago," she explained for the second time that night, "When I let you in, you told me there was trouble and then totally freaked out on me."

"Freaked out?" the hint of bemusement in his tone did little to hide the worry beneath it..

"Yeah," Kenzi replied, immediately wishing she had kept her mouth shut, "You opened the door and then dragged us both behind the couch. Then you kind of passed out."

"What was at the door?" Dyson demanded, troubled that he remembered none of this. Kenzi looked down at him somewhat guiltily.

"Nothing," she replied softly. Silence fell between the pair as Dyson considered her response. Then, suddenly, he shot up from his spot, catching her by surprise.

"I need to get out of here," he said, ignoring Kenzi's startled cry, "I'm putting you at risk."

"Woah, Dyson!" Kenzi called out, leaning forward to stop the shifter. She over-shot a bit, finding herself sprawled on top of him, "You can't go. Trick and Lauren are on their way."

"You called Lauren?" he replied incredulously, instinctively trying to push the girl off him.

"Well, technically, I called Trick and he called Lauren," Kenzi argued in her defense, struggling to keep him down, "Dyson, stop! You need to rest."

"No, I need you to get off me," the Fae growled, finally managing to get leverage on her. Kenzi, though, was not giving up without a fight.

"D-man, please, you had a seizure," she exclaimed in a last ditch effort. The comment froze the shifter mid-shove.

"What?" he demanded. Kenzi craned her neck to look over at him.

"Please," she begged, "Trick and Lauren are on the way. Let them look you over. Cause if something happens to you, I'd really hate to be next on Bo's feeding list."

The mention of his lover's name seemed to get through to the man. With an annoyed growl, he stopped struggling, leaning back against the hardwood floor.

"Then, can you at least get off me," he grunted, somewhat surprised at how heavy such a small girl could be. Kenzi grinned.

"No problem, wolf-man," she said, pushing herself up. Dusting herself off, she fell back to sit on the floor by his head.

"So when are they getting here?" Dyson asked, still wanting to leave. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he didn't like the idea of potentially being out of control with Kenzi so close to him. For all the little human said about Bo killing her if something happened to him, he was certain he'd get almost equal treatment if something happened to the girl. It was clear to anyone who saw them that she meant a great deal to the succubus.

"No idea," Kenzi responded, tugging at a piece of fluff on her pajama bottoms, "Soon I hope."

At that moment there came a knocking at the door.

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><p>A.N. First, Thanks for all the awesome reviews on the first chapter. Hopefully this one met with your approval. As alway, drop me a review if you want!<p> 


	3. Chapter Three

Kenzi yawned, squirming in her chair for what felt like the hundreth time that night. She had already tried throwing her legs over both sides, curling up with her knees to her chest, and sprawling across the thing; but nothing seemed to help. No matter how she sat, she just couldn't seem to get comfortable. Letting out an impatient huff of air, she pulled herself up straight again, thinking, _Peeps who can afford this much shit could at least splurge on a better hospital seat._ Not that she was expecting to sleep or anything. Her little adventure with Dyson had quickly cleared up all need for a good night's rest. It was just the principle of the thing.

"You know you don't have to stay,"a tired male voice sound from her right, drawing her out of her thoughts.

Rubbing her eyes, Kenzi turned to glance at its owner skeptically. Dyson lay in the bed beside her, robed and wired as ordered by Lauren. The doctor hadn't been able to conclusively find anything wrong with the shifter yet but (over his objections) had insisted he stay overnight for observation. Trick had agreed so now, despite appearing as though he were sleeping peacefully, the heart monitor beside him beat often and steadily in defiance.

"And miss out on all this crazy, crazy fun?" she replied sarcastically, glancing around the otherwise darkened, empty room, "No way, wolf-man."

She watched as the corners of his mouth turned up in a faint smile before he turned to look at her.

"Kenzi," he said, his tone rife with meaning. The human sighed.

"Geez, dude," she replied, reaching over to slap his shoulder lightly, "I can't help a friend out?"

Dyson just stared back in response. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Kenzi pulled back from the bed. Silence fell between the pair as she lightly twisted her hair.

"Look, I owe you," she said, finally looking back at him; and then added in a half-whine, "So let's not make a big deal about it, okay?"

For a moment, he said nothing, frowning at her. Dyson had known the young human had let him through many of her barriers during her infamous "foot-soup" incedent, and the fact he'd been allowed to see her vulnerability meant more then she would ever say. He didn't expect, however, for her to think his insight meant she owed him something in return. Nor did he realize she would try and take any responsibility for him. Then again, that was exactly what she'd done for Bo.

"Okay," he agreed, deciding not to press the issue, "But you should get some sleep."

"Pff, I'm fine," Kenzi argued, glancing down at her nails (the bags under her eyes told another story), "Besides, your little, uh, interruption completely knocked over my sleep schedule. But whatevs."

She didn't notice the dark look that crossed the Fae's face. Though he wouldn't say it aloud, the fact he couldn't remember the last couple hours and ended up at Bo's with Kenzi home alone bothered him deeply. It would have been easy to lose control and harm the girl who, despite her talk, was merely human. While Kenzi's testamony of his behavior and a quick inquisition by Trick to the rest of the community suggested he hadn't attacked anyone in those missing hours, he was determined to find out what had happened to him and why the moment he was free. Meanwhile, Trick promised to consult his books and see if he could find a lead.

"If you insist, however," Kenzi's voice interrupted his thoughts as she rose to her feet. Passing his bed, she settled down on the one opposite him, pausing only to take off her boots. Dyson turned to follow her movements. Snuggling into a comfortable position, she fixed her large grey eyes on him, and added softly, "Get some sleep too, Dyson."

"Goodnight, Kenzi," he said, turning away from her.

It didn't take long for the human's breathing to even out behind him. Despite Kenzi's well wishing, he doubted he would be getting much sleep tonight. Turning over, he started going through the list (Fae or otherwise) of people who might have anything to do with whatever had happened to him. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the figure stride silently past the infirmary columns.

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><p>He woke with a start. Eyes automatically adjusting to the pitch black, he scanned the room, breathing heavily. Something wasn't right. Swing his legs over the side of the bed, he inhaled deeply trying to locate whatever it was that had disturbed his rest. His stomach dropped as a familiar, coppery scent invaded his nostrils.<p>

"Kenzi!" he called out, jumping to his feet. Panic set in when the girl didn't answer.

The lights flared to life around him and he let out a cry of horror as his eyes fell on the bed beside him. Dark blood soaked the sheets, dripping freely on the tile floor. Kenzi lay center of them, body and clothing ripped almost beyond recognition. All but for her large, glassy, grey eyes staring up at him accusingly.


	4. Chapter Four

"Dyson! Dyson, wake up!" Kenzi's cry echoed loudly along the marble hallway. No matter how loud she yelled, though, the noise seemed unable to break through to the dreaming shifter as he thrashed and growled in the bed, appearing to fight something only he could see. Even the blaring screech of the monitor's alarm coming to life did little to rouse him. Panicked, Kenzi reached down to grab his shoulders, torn between shaking him or trying to hold him down. The moment she touch him, however, his eyes flew open and the alarm fell silent.

"Oh, thank g-ech!"

Before she had time to react, Dyson's hand shot upwards, grasping Kenzi's throat tightly. Eyes glowing yellow, he let out a ear splitting howl, surging up from the bed and slamming her painfully against the backwall. Kenzi screamed, or at least tried to; but all that came out was a choked sputter of air as her hands flew up to enclose Dyson's wrist. Instinctively, she kicked towards him, attempting to push him off with a quick shot at his gonads. Her feet merely flailed, however, sliding helplessly on the tile floor as he used his height to lean over her just out of reach.

"D-Dyson," she finally manage to groan, smacking weakly at the hand tightening around her neck. The dark spots in front of her eyes were growing broader, covering everything but the pair of fierce yellow eyes staring down at her. _This isn't h_ow _I want to die_, "Please."

She saw it the moment he was under control again. Eyes snapping back to their usual human appearance, his hand immediately releasing its grip on her windpipe as he pulled back from. She barely noticed the absence as pain blossomed across every part of her body. Sinking to her knees, Kenzi grasped her throat gingerly, coughing heavily.

"What...the...hell, Dy-...son," she managed to gasp out, briefly glaring up at him, "Dyson?"

The shifter, who had backed all the way to his hospital cot, was staring at her in utter amazement. _No_, Kenzi thought as she glanced up at him again still coughing, _as if he can't believe he's really seeing me_. The expression was unnerving, but nothing compared to his next words.

"K-Kenzi?" Dyson stuttered, taking a tenative step towards the girl. A bad feeling instantly shot along the human's spine. In all her time knowing him, Kenzi had never heard the man stutter once. Not even in front of Bo.

"Dys-," she began, only to find herself suddenly yanked to her feet and into a tight embrace, "Woah...okay, hugs?"

Cautiously and more out of habit, she found herself wrapping her arm around the Fae's waist, patting him gently on the back.

"Alright, D-man," she gasped as she felt Dyson tighten his hold on her, "Kenzi can't breathe."

Immediately, he pulled away.

"Sorry," he replied, his hands remaining tight on both her shoulders, "Are you alright?"

"Oh, spectacular!" Kenzi replied, her irritation flashing to the surface as she pushed him completely off her and smacked him in the shoulder for good measure, "You know, except for getting nearly choked to death by a werewolf, I'm fantastic! What the hell is wrong with you, Dyson?"

To his credit, the Fae had enough awareness to look down at his feet, appearing suitably guilty. He didn't even bother correcting her mislabeling of his kind as he listened to her go off. Just hearing her again brought more relief then he could explain.

"Christ," she continued, reaching up to gently dab the back of her head. She could feel a raging headache coming on and couldn't decide if it was caused by the oxygen depravation or the Bo-worthy wall slam. She winced as her fingers brushed a tender spot. Wall slam it was then, " If I'd known you'd react like that, I'd of let Lauren wake you."

The mention of the Doctor's name caused Dyson to glance up, offering Kenzi another glimpse of the same bewildered expression he had had when he let her go. Again, the same bad feeling shot along her spine and she found herself glancing to either side for an exit. _Stop it,_ she mentally yelled at herself, _It's Dyson. _

_Who just tried to kill you, _another voice responded from the recesses of her mind. It didn't help her guilt when she flinched as he took a step towards her.

"Laur-" he began, when the echoeing sound of footsteps caught the attention of both. A second later, the doctor ran into the room, coming to a stop at the site in front of her.

"Someone want to tell me what's going on?" she asked

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><p>"That must have been one hell of a nightmare," Trick's voice sounded, amplifed over speaker phone. Once Lauren had the whole story, Kenzi had been looked over, and Dyson had been put back in bed (this time with an EKG attached), the three had called the Elder to report what had happened.<p>

"No kidding," Kenzi muttered, adjusting the ice-pack she'd been given to a less tender spot. Over Lauren's objections, she'd insisted in taking up the uncomfortable seat again, having it moved across the room from Dyson with the light doctor standing as a pseudo-arbiter between them.

On the other end of the line, they could hear Trick let out a tired sigh before he responded, "I know this is personal, Dyson, but do you think you can tell us what it was you dreamt? It might help me narrow down what it is that might be doing this too you?"

"Whatever it is," Lauren interjected, glancing at the shifter, "I haven't been able to detect any physical effects that could point to a source."

"Are we even sure this is being caused by a Fae?" Dyson asked quietly. All eyes in the room snapped questioningly towards him.

"Don't be stupid, Dyson," Trick responded over the phone, catching the younger Fae's implication, "You're not going crazy."

"I didn't smell anything, Trick," Dyson argued, his voice raising slightly, "Or hear anything."

"Well, contrary to what you may believe," Trick replied back, voice and tone even, "There are plenty of Fae in this world that can avoid detection by senses. Even ones as good as yours."

"Then how did they get in?" Dyson shot back, "Everyone's ability has a range. Unless your suggesting the Ash has a breach in security, anything that could do...this wouldn't be able to get within two feet of the place."

A brief silence followed his words before a troubled sounding Trick replied, "That is a good point."

"What?" Kenzi exclaimed, this time drawing the room's attention to herself, "No. No. Wolf-man, your not crazy," she turned to look at him, "Scary to wake up, yes. Crazy, hell no."

Dyson held her gaze, torn between guilt and a flicker of greatfulness to the small human for her loyalty. The tuth of the matter, though, was how unaware she was of what he was capable off.

"I dreamed I killed you," he said, all emotion gone from his voice. He watched her eyes widen in shock at the statement, before her skin paled as she blanched.

"I woke," he paused, rephrasing the beginning, "In the dream I woke up and smelled blood in the air. When the lights came on you were lying in the bed, " he glanced over at the one she'd been occupying, "Torn to shreds. Then there were flashbacks When Lauren came in the next morning, I changed and killed her too. I hunted Trick down next and then B...Bo."

His voice wavered slightly as he said the succubus' name. Even with memory of ripping her throat out ratteling at the forefront of his mind, he wished she was here. If only so he could take comfort in just seeing her alive and breathing. No one had been able to reach her yet.

Looking up again, he saw Lauren staring at him failing to keep horror from invading her features. He could picture Trick sitting in his lair, eyes closed as he tried to process what he just heard. Kenzi just gazed at him, disgust and pity warring for control over her face. Finally, Trick spoke first.

"All this tells us, Dyson," he muttered, keeping rigid control over his tone. Of the three, he was most aware of just what the wolf was capable of, "Is that whosever doing this knows you. Or has been keeping excellent tabs on you."

"Yeah," Kenzi added meekly, surprising all of them again, "I mean, I know Trick doesn't have security tapes, but..."

"Who says I don't?" the bartender interrupted her indignantly, "Especially when I have little urchins stealing booze right off my shelves."

"Now you know full well..." Kenzi began to argue when Lauren cleared her throat.

"Can we get back on topic, people," she said, giving Dyson a sympathetic glance. She like the shifter about as much as he did her, but he was Fae and he was close to Bo. She couldn't bear to think of the pain it would cause the succubus if something happened to him, "Dyson, I still suggest you stay here till we figure out what's going on."

Dyson turned to her stiffly, clear resistance written on his face. Instead of argueing, however, he simply gave a short nod.

"And, given your...violent reaction to touch," she said, hating the words as they came out, "I'd suggest we put you in restraints."

Once again, Kenzi moved to protest but a hand from Dyson stopped her. His inner wolf raged at the thought of being tied down, making it difficult to think. Spotting Kenzi in his peripheral, however, he knew the doctor was right. He couldn't risk hurting anyone else.

"Fine," he managed to growl, clenching his hands into fists. Kenzi let out a groan, dropping her head into her free hand. Without being able to explain why, she knew there were so many things that could go wrong with this plan. In her experience, Murphy's Law had a soft spot for the Fae folk.

"And I'll keep looking into it," Trick interjected tiredly.

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><p>A.N.: Phew. So yeah, this chapter was kind of difficult to write. I just started season two so now I feel like a real shit for being so mean to everybody (especially Dyson). Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter and reviews are like candy!<p> 


	5. Chapter Five

"Hey, Bo, it's Kenzi...again. Listen, Dyson could _really_ use your help, B," _Me too_, she added privately, "So, call me back soon, okay?"

Flipping the phone closed, the young human let out a long sigh. Bo's lack of communication was really starting to worry her. This had to be the hundreth (okay, eleventh) message she'd left the succubus and had yet to hear from her. Even when they weren't getting along, there was never this little contact. Not for the first time, Kenzi worried if her best friend's apparent disappearance and Dyson's sudden bout of crazy were connected.

_Shit, I hope not, _she thought, glancing back into the infirmary. If they were, there was very little she could do about it and that pissed her off. Meanwhile, Dyson was taking to being tied up about as well as everyone expected. When he wasn't trying not to growl at the smallest thing, he was either growling or pulling against the restraints. He and Lauren had gotten into it once already over her taking a blood sample and Kenzi was getting tired of keeping the peace. It was all getting too surreal for her, considering the Dyson she was used to was usually quiet and stoic in the tall, dark avenger, sexy kind of way (minus when they were playing pool).

"So, how's our boy?" Hale suddenly appeared behind her, offering a traveler's cup of coffee over her shoulder. The siren had arrived in the early morning hours bearing gifts of caffeine deliciousness. Kenzi's sleep-deprived, worry-filled brain had almost been tempted to kiss him on the spot. She'd eventually settled on giving him a huge hug instead. Opening the tab of her second cup, she inhaled deeply, savoring the scent of the concotion within. The rich aroma was strong enough to give her a contact caffeine high.

"Grumpy," she replied, taking a sip (the brew felt like an orgasm in her mouth. One day she would have to ask Hale where he gets the stuff), "Mmm, this is so good... He's already called me 'human' again, but mostly just growls and twitches a lot."

"Yeah," Hale said, sounding unsurprised as he turned back towards her, "Well, Dyson's never been one for taking things lying down. Except for maybe Bo."

"Ew," Kenzi grimaced at the mental image, almost spewing out the sweet nectar. Turning to glare at Hale she added, "Could you be less of a perv? No, wait," she held a hand up to stop his response, "Don't answer that."

Hale grinned, turning back to look at his partner. Trick had called him early in the morning, filling him in on everything that had gone down the night before. When asked if he had noticed anything odd about Dyson's behavior during the day, he hadn't been able to think of anything except a couple times while they were at the pub. Dyson seemed to lose focus while they were playing pool (Hale had figured it was just him catching the whiff of a couple girls). Bo and he were on the fritz again and, in any case, Hale still had his butt handed to him.

"So, what is it you need me to do?" he asked seriously, wondering if he missed something.

"Watch him," Kenzi said, "I need to go home and change out of these clothes," Hale glanced over, suddenly noticing the girl was pretty much still wearing pajamas. They looked good on her, though he would never say so at this range for fear of getting hit, "And I don't want to leave him without a friend to stop him from doing something stupid. If that's possible."

The siren smirked. There was still so much the short human had yet to learn about his partner, but every now and then her perceptions were almost Fae-like in quality.

"Alright," he agreed, then added, unable to stop himself, "Course, if you'd rather save time and change her- ow!"

He rubbed his arm, glaring down at her. Kenzi rolled her eyes in response, clearly not ashamed. For all his insinuation-based faults, she often found Hale the easiest of her Fae friends to talk to. Not that she didn't consider Bo her bestest-besty who she shared all (or some) of her secrets with; or that Trick didn't remind her of the grouchy (probably-too-powerful-for-anyone's-good), wit wielding uncle she wished she had. Not that Dyson wasn't the first person she (guiltly) thought off whenever she really wanted to feel safe (despite all the times she had the strong desire to occasionally kick his centuries-old-and-should-know-better butt whenever he hurt Bo and himself), but where she _got _the others Hale got her. Granted, he did have an annoying amount of side-kick hours logged in ahead of her so it probably wasn't fair.

"I'll be back soon," she said, offering him her fist.

"You better," he replied, offering her one of their more complicated handshakes, "Now shoo."

Kenzi rolled her eyes again, turning and heading down the hall. Hale waited until she disappeared around the corner before turning back to the infirmary.

Here we go," he said to no one in particular.

* * *

><p>Trick rubbed the bridge of his nose as he stared at another page of cramped Fae text. His normally cluttered looking library looked like a tornado had hit it, with books and scrolls haphazardly lying on any available surface. The problem was there were so many Fae who could prey on sleepers (probably because that was when humans were at their most defenseless) that it was almost impossible to narrow the list conclusively on the little information they had . On top of that, this particular Fae would have to be old or at least very powerful to get the drop on Dyson without leaving a trace.<p>

Letting out a sigh, the blood sage took another sip of his now cold tea. Whoever this mysterious Fae was at least they did know it appeared he could use his powers outside of the dreamworld since Dyson had been awake when he came to Bo and Kenzi's place. That alone was probably the most limiting characteristic they were aware of. _Though,_ he thought, turning the page again, _they could also be using a partner._ Glancing down at the description in front of him, the bartender made a quick assessment and moved on to the next one. His eyes widened in surprise as he read the description

"Oh, shit," he cursed, realizing his mistake.

* * *

><p><em>Ah, Mama feels much better, <em>Kenzi thought, stepping out of the shower. Between the warm water and the coffee, she could feel her head clearing up fully. Once she got dressed, she had decided, her first order of business was to repeatedly call Bo's phone until the succubus finally answered and she could yell at her (nicely) for leaving. Then, she'd give Trick a call and see if he'd found a lead or needed help of some kind. If that didn't work, she'd sneak back to the infirmary and grudgingly allow Let's-Insult-the-Human Day to fully commence. Somewhere in there she'd probably take a shot or two of vodka also.

She had just made it over to the pile of clothes on the floor, when her phone rang angrily on top of the footlock. Reaching for it, she didn't even bother checking the caller as she flipped it open.

"Bo, where the-" she started, only to be interrupted by a male voice on the other side.

"Kenz, it's Hale. We've got a problem."

"Uh, is it a you just found out the shoe's you bought last week are on sale now kind of problem, or a you found someone's finger in your fries kind of problem?" she asked, feeling her stomach sink, "Cause I'm partial to the sale one honestly."

"Dyson's missing."

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><p>A.N.: Dun, Dun, Dun. Again, thanks to everyone whose reviewed so far!<p> 


	6. Chapter Six

A.N.: Hey, I just wanted to thank everyone again for the awesome reviews and drop a couple shot outs to reviewers who I can't PM.

PanPriestess: Shh! Don't ruin the surprise. :)

NightSorceress:Thanks for all the awesome reviews! I'm glad you liked Hale and Kenzi's interaction. They're probably my second favorite friendship in the series.

Also, I want to apologize ahead of time if Dyson sounds really out of character. The whole strong, silent thing he's got going makes it really hard for me to get a good read into his thought process beyond the fact I'm completely messing with him. So yeah, sorry *hides behind Hale*

* * *

><p>"What? Kenzi exclaimed, almost dropping the phone, "Define 'missing'."<p>

"I mean gone, Kenz," Hale responded and she could hear the slight hitch in his voice, "As in vanished, disappeared, skipped town, D has left the building."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Kenzi jumped in hastily, "That was rhetorical anyway. What happened?"

"By the looks of it he was...let out of the restraints," Hale replied. Kenzi noticed his voice had grown quieter, as if he didn't want their conversation overheard.

"You mean he broke out of them?" she asked, the thought not really surprising her. Like Hale had said, the wolf-man didn't like taking things lying down. _Damnit, Dyson,_ she thought, _You better not get yourself or anyone else killed doing this._

"No," Hale reply brought her back from her thoughts, "Kenz, those restraints are fae-made. They have inlaid silver and iron so they're pretty much unbreakable. Someone had to physically let him go."

"Who would do that?" Kenzi demanded, bewildered, then added as an afterthought, "And why weren't you watching him?"

"I was," Hale replied defensively, "Kenzi, listen, I don't have much. The Ash is involved now. The whole compound is going on lockdown. Everyone whose been in recent contact with Dyson's being brought in."

"And this effects me..."

"Yeah."

"Shit!" Kenzi exclaimed, quickly pulling her shirt on, "Any idea how much time I got?"

"Not long, little momma," Hale's replies were quickening in pace, not a good sign, "Kenz, you need to find D. Doc says if the Ash's men get to him first she isn't sure she'll be able to stop them from killing him."

"Woah, killing him?" Kenzi froze in the doorway, "Since when did that become an option?"

"Since the Ash thinks he'll start a panic," Hale replied sounding as angry as she felt. Angry and powerless to do anything about it, "Doc still has no idea what's causing this."

"That...that Ash-hole!" Kenzi exclaimed, storming angrily towards the stairs. She heard a faint snort from Hale.

"That's the spirit, girl," he replied finally, "Kenz, you gotta find him. Your D's only hope."

"Great, so no pressure or anything," Kenzi responded, rounding her way into the living room. _How the hell am I suppose to do this? _She paused,"And never quote Star Wars at me during an emergency...nerd."

"I know you are but what am I," Hale teased back, but Kenzi could tell it was forced. Definitely not a good sign, "Be careful little momma."

"Always am...Hale?...Hale?" Kenzi glanced at the phone to see the call had been terminated, "Okay, clearly lockdown's complete."

Glancing aroud the room, her eyes fell on one of her jackets. Reaching over, she picked it up and threw it on. Her sword sat precariously close to the coffee table's edge where she'd thrown it the night before. A sightly crazy thought to bring it with flashed through her mind. Problem was, it would be a little hard to explain on the streets. Shaking her head, Kenzi strode over to the small collection of knives and weapons Bo had left out when she left. Grabbing a couple of the small ones, she armed herself to bear

"How the hell am I suppose to do this?" she asked herself aloud this time, "Okay, think Kenzi. Where would Dyson go? Where would his wolf go?"

Slapping the last knife into the back of her boot, she stood, not feeling even slightly better. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath forced herself to not panic. _Think Bo, _she told herself. Now was not the time to process everything, now was the time to react. She needed information and the best place she knew to get the kind of information she was looking for was the Dal. So the Dal was where she needed to go. Opening her eyes, Kenzi nodded to herself, satisfied. Turning, she headed for the door.

**Thud, Thud, Thud**.

* * *

><p><em>He hadn't meant to go off on her. No, that wasn't completely true. He had meant every word he'd said, just not the tone he had said it in.<em>

_Straining against the straps on his wrist, Dyson glanced towards the infirmary entrance. Kenzi and Hale stood there, speaking animately with each other. The hum of the machines and the movement of Lauren's orderlies made it near impossible for him to make out exactly what they were saying; but based on the looks both would occasionally shoot his way he was certain the topic of conversation was him. It was only when he saw Kenzi slapped his partner in the arm and the two exchange one of their intricate handshakes that he relaxed slightly. A minute later, the human disappeared from view._

_Leaning back against the bed, Dyson closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. It was difficult to ignore the feeling of guilt churning in his stomach but he made himself do it. He had needed Kenzi to leave for her own good. It wasn't safe here. Not that he thought he'd harm her (the restraints were doing quite well in preventing that from happening) or that he didn't think she couldn't physically handle herself around the Fae. It wasn't even that he hated her seeing him in this state (his desire to make her feel like she was helping clashing against the wolf's desire to hide its weakness from a weaker pack-mate); but she wasn't safe here. Without Bo or himself to protect her, there was no one to stop the Ash from potentially inventing a reason to harm the human girl to keep Bo in line; and, given the way Kenzi attracted trouble, it'd be almost too easy for him to make it stick._

"_Is that really what you think of me, D-man?__"_

_Dyson's eyes snapped open at the sound of familiar female voice, instantly regretting it when he saw its source. Kenzi (or something that looked exactly like her) stood, leaning over the foot of the bed, starring at him with filmy eyes and a cold smile. Dried blood caked her clothes, particularly along the savage holes torn in her side. A large, hand-shaped bruise stood out clearly against her too-pale neck._

_"Cause maybe you should have thought about that before letting me stay alone with you," Kenzi's corpse accused him, standing up fully. Dyson tensed as she moved towards him, an irrational wave of fear suddenly running through him. In the logical part of his mind he knew whatever this was, it wasn't real and that he should make someone aware of the situation. Logic didn't stop him, however, from trying to move away as the corpse-like thing sat on the edge of the bed beside him. The scent of decomposing flesh invading his nostrils was strong enough to make a human want to gag. _It's not real, _the shifter tried to convince himself, glaring defiantly back at the creature._

_Kenzi (_no, Kenzi was gon-home. She was home) _smiled at him, clearly amused by his resistance. Reaching over, she gently patted his arm near the restraints. He managed to keep a straight poker face even though the touch made him want to shudder._

_"Could of used these last night, couldn't we, wolf-man?" she asked, eyebrows raising suggestively, "Couldn't we, Dyson?"_

_"Who are you?" he demanded through gritted teeth. None of Lauren's staff seemed to notice the question. The body, however, took the time to look mildly insulted._

_"I'm Kenz," the corpse taunted, "Or I was. God, I can't believe I missed on how much of an asshole you were."_

_The tone of the comment sounded just enough like the crazy human that the Fae felt a small flair of pain erupt in his chest. Whatever this thing was, he realized with increasing dread, it knew where he was weakest. On instinct, he tried to lunge at the creature, the restraints tightening against his wrist._

_"Hey, D," his lunge turned into a jump at the sound of Hale's voice. __Hale's hands jumped up defensively at the movement, "Woah! Dude, relax, it's just me...Man, you look like shit."_

_Recovering from his surprise, Dyson looked over to see the siren's head tilt slightly, examining him with a look of concern. _Great,_ he thought angrily, his wolf reflexively reacting to the show of pity. Looking away, he saw the image of Kenzi's corpse had vanished from view. He refused to admit his relief when he saw she was apparently gone._

_"I feel like it," the flurry of thoughts racing through his mind forced the shifter to make a rare admittance. _

_Hale frowned at the comment, suddenly having a new appreciation for how bad the situation was. Taking a seat in Kenzi's vacated chair, he automatically re-took an inventory of his partner's state. The raw marks beginning to show along the Dyson's wrist and ankles from struggling were in no way being helped by the clear tension in the shifter's frame. The wolf-man looked haggard and on edge, eyes darting around the room, not staying on one thing for very long. An eerie feeling leeched its way along the siren's spine._

_"You okay, D?" Hale ventured the question, not liking what he was seeing. This was not the kind of behavior he'd been expecting from his friend, and definitely not the kind Kenzi would leave at the appearance of._

_"I'm fine," growled the shifter, head snapping back in Hale's direction and eyes widening suddenly._

_"Dyson?" Hale's question was lost as Dyson's attention was drawn once more to Kenzi's corpse appearing right behind the siren._

_"Why don't you tell him you're far from okay?" the image demanded of him, looking sadly at Hale, "Why don't you tell him you remember what it's like killing me?"_

_Unbidden, memories from the night before flashed through Dyson's mind. His hands clenched as they relived the feel of Kenzi's throat beneath their grasp. He could remember the sound of her gasping and how weakly her human hands fought against his. He could clearly see the look of fear and betrayal cloud the unique eyes that belonged to what was once a unique human._

_"Lauren!" Hale yelled out, jumping to his feet. Dyson's eyes had glazed over and the shifter hadn't responded to the push against his shoulder. _

_Kenzi's corpse approached the bed again, reaching down to undo the straps holding him down. Dyson growled as her hands brushed the raw skin, vaguely aware of the movement in the room. As Kenzi finished, he could feel his tenative grip on reality begin to waver._

_"You're an animal, Dyson," the corpse hissed, leaning into his face and smelling worse then before, "And you're going to go where animals belong."_

_Realizing he was free, the wolf reacted immediately. Hale turned back, to find himself face to face with yelllow eyes and sharp teeth coming towards him_

_"Shit!" he reacted immediately, ducking as the wolf leaped over him to the other side of the chair. The infirmary dissolved into momentary chaos._

_"Elana!" Lauren's voice sounded over the uproar as Dyson ran for the door. One of the orderlies turned in his direction, hands held up. Hale had just enough time to see something shoot out of her palm towards his partner and embed itself in the wall as the wolf disappeared from site._

_"Damnit!" the orderly cursed, looking worriedly over at Lauren. The doctor barely even noticed as she stared in the direction Dyson had disappeared to. Glancing to her right, she saw Hale pull himself to her feet, the look of shock on his face matching her own._

_"Kenzi is gonna kill me," the siren said, running a hand along the top of his head._


	7. Chapter Seven

A.N.: Mwahahahahaaa! Thank you for all the lovely reviews, my darlings. I do truely apologize for picking on poor Dyson, but unfortunately the days of his being pseudo-crazy are certainly comin' to a middle (cookies for whoever gets the reference!). I promise the "comfort" part will make up for it. Again, I'd like to make a couple quick shout-outs

PanPriestess: Glad you liked it! :) Hopefully you'll get to do a happy Kenzi dance for being right about the Big Bad in all of this.

NightSorceress: Lol, I remember Kenzi calling Lachlan that at some point and it seemed extremely appropriate for the situation. Glad you're excited about what's coming, hopefully it won't disappoint.

* * *

><p>"I think we're dealing with a Kitsune," said Trick, tossing the heavy volume onto the table. Lauren and Hale simultaneously jumped at the sound, eyes moving first to the leather bound book and then questioningly to the barkeep.<p>

"And why do I suddenly get the feeling I'm not going to like knowing what that is?" Hale muttered in reply, sitting up in his seat. With his phone confiscated by the Ash's men, he'd felt and been pretty useless since the lockdown. Trick shot him a look as he opened the book.

"They're fox spirits," the Fae elder explained, flipping through the pages, "Or at least that's what the Japanese consider them. Among our kind they're known as shape-shifters," he flipped the book around so the pair could see, "With a gift for illusion."

On the page in front of them lay two illustrations side by side. The first was the outline of a large fox with nine tails fanning out behind it. The second appeared to be a man in a toga like garment, one that appeared to be made of the tails from the first picture.

"Oh, I've heard of these," Hale said, reaching over to flatten the page as he read the description, "Yeah, that's what they based Naruto aro-...what?"

The questioning looks which he and Lauren had given Trick were now being leveled in his direction. Scowling, the siren sat back, mumbling something about Kenzi and getting dragged into her crazy anime phase. Shaking his head exasperantly, Trick turned to Lauren.

"The Kitsune are a rare clan found throughout Japanese mythology," he continued, "Mostly they serve as messengers, but there are several tales where they deliver punishment on the wicked or those who give them a percieved insult."

"And you think Dyson might have had a run in with one of them?" Lauren replied, looking thoughtful. Leaning over the table, she examined the page and images again. Trick nodded in reply.

"It's possible," he said, "It could even be that he didn't realize he'd interacted with one much less insult it. They don't exactly broadcast their presence."

"But why all of this?" Lauren asked, looking back at him, "Why risk setting off a panic, possibly a war?"

Trick shrugged.

"I honestly have no idea," he replied, and then, as if realizing something, he added, "Where's Kenzi?"

"Hopefully a lot closer to finding Dyson than the Ash's men are," Hale replied, finally speaking to the pair again. Trick looked over at him, clearly troubled by the news.

"Trick?" said Lauren, noticing the Fae's sudden stillness, "What is it?"

Trick closed his eyes, looking for all the world as if he wished the day had happened to someone else. When he opened them again, the others were looking at him with worried expressions on their face. Letting out a sigh, he ran his hand over his face.

"We just better hope Kenzi finds Dyson before she runs into the Kitsune," he said.

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><p>A.N. 2: And sorry for the late updateshort chapter. Work has been killer plus I'm working on a new Lost Girl story ("Family Matters" I shamelessly throw out). So I will try to get updates out as soon as possible.


	8. Chapter Eight

A.N.: I am sooooooo sorry for the slow update. I won't even bother hiding behind Hale (hides behind Trick)

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><p>"Hey, Trick! Trickster?"" Kenzi called out as she barged past the Dal's entrance. Glancing around she added in a sing-song voice, "Oh Mr. Fitzpat- What the Fae?"<p>

The resulting silence stopped her as she took in the area around. The pub was empty; and not only empty, but the kind of empty that sent the tiny hairs along the back of the human's neck shooting upward. Despite the late morning hours, the chairs and stools were still stacked on top of the tables making the area appear wider and far less inviting. The sunlight filtering in from the window did little to help, providing a sharp, bleached contrast to the bar's normally warm glow. And the serious lack of a grouchy bartender was doing nothing to calm her nerves.

"Shit-balls,"she muttered to no one in particular. By the looks of things, the Ash's men may have already payed the Elder Fae a visit, "Now what am I suppose to do?"

She had figured (hoped) the Ash's orders wouldn't have extended to the Fae bartender or, baring that, Trick would have simply told the Ash where to shove those orders. It had always struck her that, in his own way, Trick was above his people's laws even though he practiced them out of convience. A suspicion not in a little aided by the lightning bird's comment and Trick's evasion to her questions after. In any case, she highly doubted a couple of the Ash's stooges could easily pry the small man from his domicile without his consent.

_Which means he went with them willingly, _she thought angrily, _why the hell would he do that?_

The truth was, though, there were many reasons why he would. The Ash's impending hit on Dyson sprang quickly to mind. She wouldn't put it past Trick to use the opportunity presented to cash in on an audience with his Ash-hole-iness and buy the shifter some time. Plus, he could always tag team with Hale and bust out of there; which, while good, was completely un-useful to her at the moment.

Wringing her hands as she let out a mini-roar of frustration, she glanced in the direction of the entrance to Trick's lair. If she couldn't have the Trickopedia, then his books were probably the next best thing. Except Dyson needed help now and research was kind of a later process.

"What I wouldn't kill to just to have to look up a couple plates right now," she groaned, storming towards the back.

Completely unbidden, the image of Dyson's wolf with a licence plate hanging on the end of his tail sprang to the forefront of her mind. Choking back a snort of laughter, Kenzi paused beside the bar to give herself a mental kick. _Focus Mama, _she admonished herself, _potentially crazy wof-shifter research now. Doggy driving humor later. S_he refused to acknowledge the laugh helped suppress the not-so-small fear that if the books could tell her how to help Dyson, they would be equally useless telling her how to find him.

Refocused, she took a step forward only to hear the high pitch scrape of wood against wood directly behind her. Her years on the streets and a lifetime of instincts took over as she whirled to face what might have been not so empty a bar.

"Whose there?" she demanded, not seeing anything. _Please,_ _God, don't let something answer._

At first the bar remained still. Nothing moved and, more importantly, nothing seemed out of place. Scanning the room side to side, Kenzi couldn't shake the feeling, however, that someone was watching her.

"Trick?" she called out once more; then, a little more timidly, "Dyson?"

When no answer came, she forced out a sigh of relief. Clutching her chest, she took a couple deep breaths to calm herself. _Now is not the time to be loosing it, mama_, she gave herself another mental kick. Taking one more look around, she turned to leave when something caught her eye. Turning to her right, she frowned at the table closest to her. The chairs on the table had been in the process of being taken down with half being set on the floor and half still on the table. Of the ones on the floor, the third one from her was pulled out a little further then the others. Normally, it wouldn't mean much but the sound she'd heard had come from something wooden.

Cautiously, she approached the chair, frowning as she examined it. It didn't seem weird or freaky in any way. Just a typical chair in a typical bar run by a typical Fae bartender. Shaking her head at her ridiculousness, Kenzi reached over to push it in. Rather then the hard back she was expecting, however, her hand fell on something soft and squirming.

"Yaagh!" she let out a girly scream, pulling away and backpedalling behind another table.

"Oh shit," a male voice muttered softly in the area. Kenzi's jaw dropped open as the chair became momentarily enveloped in a silvery sheen. When the light fell away, in the place of the chair squatted a young man.

"What the? Who...who are you?" Kenzi exclaimed, stunned. Then, taking in the man's attire as he stood, added, "And what the hell are you wearing?"

The man glanced down at his clothes then back up at her. He appeared young, possibly a couple years older then herself. His features were narrow, but too pinched looking to be considered attractive. Long, shaggy red hair (which she wondered briefly if he thought made him fashionable) gave him an unkempt appearance, particularly given his vest. The gaudy article of clothing itself was red as well, made of fox tail fur with the tips of nine tails dangling at its bottom like some sort of creepy fringe. As he shot her a withering glance, she realized there was a yellow tint to his eyes.

"I'd ask you the same thing," he responded airily, looking down his nose at her.

"Well, I asked you first," she shot back sarcastically, leaning towards him.

"Well, you're the human," he mimiced her mockingly. Kenzi opened her mouth in shock.

"Oh, you did not just go there," she exclaimed, pointing warningly at him. Feeling braver, she stepped towards him, drawing herself to her full height. Relatively speaking, she struck a more intimidating figure against the chair-morphing creeper then someone of Dyson's height (Fae or otherwise). Curling her hands into fists, she glowered at the man and threatened, "Look, buddy, I have had a long day and I don't have time for this human/fae bullshit. So either tell me what you're doing here or I'm going open a Kenzi-style can of whoop-ass on your...tragically styled behind."

It was the man's turn to look stunned. Starring at Kenzi as if he never seen a human act this way before, he fell back a couple steps.

"I'm Liam," he finally responded sourly, crossing his arms "And Trick called me over."

"Trick called you," Kenzi replied in surprise, "Why?"

"He said he needed a tracker," Liam replied haughtily, "Didn't say why."

"A tracker?"

Liam eyed Kenzi's confused expression and sighed exasperantly.

"Someone who finds via their scent," he explained as if she were a small child, "Try to keep up darling."

"I know what a tracker is for," Kenzi half-snarled at him, her eyes narrowing. Her opinion of the man was lowering with every word he said. Privately she thought, _I guess this is how Trick planned to find Dyson_, "So, do you know where Trick is then?"

"Don't know, don't care," responded Liam, liking the human about as much as she did him, "Can I go now?"

"If you don't care, then why were you...what were you doing exactly?" Kenzi demanded, ignoring his question. As much as she didn't want to talk to him, she needed information and this asshole was her only source for it.

"I heard you coming in," said Liam, "And since Trick wasn't here, I couldn't trust that you weren't a hunter."

"A hunter? What in the world would I be hunting?"

"My tails," was the only response he gave, softly stroking the fringe of his vest.

"O-kay," replied Kenzi, trying and failing not to look at him like he was crazy, "Well, I'm not and that vest looks like it belongs in an eighties music video, dude."

Liam glared at her and let out another exasperant sigh.

"You know what," he said, throwing his hands up, "I don't have to deal with this. Tell Trick if he needs to find his wolf, he can call someone else."

Turning, he made to leave. _Shit, _Kenzi thought as her suspicions were confirmed. Almost instinctively, she moved to follow him.

"Wait!" she called out. If Trick was going to use this guy to find Dyson, she couldn't let him get away. Liam stopped.

"What?" he demanded, looking over his shoulder at her.

"I thought you said you didn't know what Trick wanted," Kenzi said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Well, considering he gave me a call in the first place it was kind of obvious," Liam replied.

"How so?"

Liam smirked patronizingly, "Well, there are plenty of other trackers in the city he could have called but he chose of a fox? Must have thought the relation to the wolf would help me know where to sniff him out."

"And do you?" asked Kenzi, grasping at straws. If she could find Dyson while Trick and Hale were doing whatever it was they were doing, at least she would be contributing something. She needed to do something.

Liam frowned thoughtfully.

"I suppose," he replied finally, "But why should I even bother and, more importantly, why do you care?"

"Cause the guy Trick wanted you to find is a friend of mine," said Kenzi, "And I really need to find him."

Liam tilted his head curiously, examining her for a moment. For a suspended second, Kenzi watched as he considered the situation. Finally, he shrugged and let out an exhale that wasn't snobbish or exasperated.

"My standard rates apply," he said, turning back to her, "Do you have something with his scent on it?"

"Er, no," was Kenzi's immediate reply, as she was slightly taken aback. Suddenly, the image of her blanket and pillow jumped to mind and she added quickly, "But I know where I can find it."


End file.
